Joshua Underwood
For the mirror counterpart, see Joshua Underwood (mirror). Grand Admiral Dr. Joshua Wardell Underwood, Ed.D., Ph.D., MD/CX (Full titles: His Excellency the Lord Chancellor of the Imperial Reydovan Empire, Commander-in-Chief of Imperial Naval Forces, Ambassador-at-Large, Lord Protector of Reydovan Prime and Patriarch of the House of Underwood) (born June 5, 1987 in Sacramento, California, Earth) is a futuristic depiction of the roleplayer who created the Reydovan Empire. Underwood used several actors, most notably legendary German actor Jürgen Prochnow (known as the submarine captain from the movie Das Boot), but around 2003 Underwood started using himself to portray his futuristic persona. "Who can play me better than me?" was his idea. While the futuristic Underwood has children who look older than Underwood himself, he simply says, "Genetics keeps me youthful in that time period; so if my kids end up looking older than me, perhaps that's a good sign; it means I'm not THAT old yet!" Education Underwood sought to become a teacher of history, in part due to the inspiration of his mentor in high school, Dr. John Anderson. Living in Southern California, Underwood attended local universities and gained several degrees: Degrees Earned While Living in California *Doctorate in military history (specialization: American Civil War), University of Southern California, 2018 *Doctorate in psychology, University of Southern California, 2020 In addition, Underwood worked on several courses while serving in Starfleet, just like his friend Kiran Joshmaul. In some cases, he outshined Joshmaul entirely, graduating valedictorian from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) with his doctorate in cybernetic medicine in 2243. Degrees Earned While Serving in Starfleet *Master's degree in warp dynamics, Cochrane Institute of Applied Dynamics, 2220 *Master's degree in structural engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2238 *Doctorate in cybernetic medicine, Califoria Institute of Technology, 2243 Origins Underwood's early history, except what he told to his friends and family, was relatively unknown, except for the fact that he was born in Sacramento, California. Most of the records were destroyed in the Third World War, and what little Underwood revealed about himself is the only written history. Lost records found in 2379 reveal that Underwood was a product of genetic engineering, with Eugenic DNA injected into the womb of his mother shortly after his conception. Underwood considered himself a native Californian even after the founding of the UFP; in fact, his personal sigil (which became the symbol of his House) was a silhouette of the state of California, with the colors and emblem of the Reydovan Empire, combining both the home of his birth, and the home of his duty. Underwood had a very troubled childhood, due to traumatic personal experiences in his early age. Towards the end of the Eugenics Wars, when Underwood was 9, a mysterious stranger took him in. That man became known later as Kiran Joshmaul. (It is speculated that the first part of his last name was taken in honor of Underwood in later years, while the "maul" part stood for Joshmaul's ferocity in combat. No one, not even Underwood himself, was truly sure why he chose this name.) Underwood later became a teacher, earning a doctorate in education, and served as an administrator for many years before retiring and fading into obscurity in 2044. Like Joshmaul, he was a silent witness to the Third World War, first contact with Vulcan, and the foundation of the United Federation of Planets. Underwood entered Starfleet service a decade after Joshmaul did; he enrolled in the Academy in December 2207, though officially he only served from 2210 to 2276. Starfleet Service Underwood was resistant to join Starfleet at first; he didn't feel like joining another military organization. But after Kiran Joshmaul stated that it would provide an opportunity for him to escape the bordedom of obscurity on Earth, Underwood relented and entered the Academy in late 2207, and served on Starfleet ships from his graduation in 2210. Like Joshmaul, Underwood became heavily involved in cybernetics research while he was in Starfleet; he served as an executive in the Joshmaul Defense Corporation for many years. (He would later found Underwood Cybernetic Technologies as a rival company to JDC in 2320.) Underwood also started out in destroyers and eventually worked his way up to serving onboard the prototype of the Constitution class, U.S.S. Constitution NCC-1700. He eventually assumed command of Constitution in 2246. He fought along with Joshmaul during the wars with the Klingons, and was wounded several times in the course of that period. He gained his first admiral's star in 2253 and commanded a task force for five years. In 2258 he earned his second star, becoming a member of the weapons research division of Starfleet Command under the command of Admiral Rodrigo Mendez, the elder brother of the noted Commodore Josè Mendez. Eventually, Underwood tired of Mendez's constant bullying of his subordinates and looked upon the work of developing weaponry with distaste; he asked for a transfer to Starfleet Operations in 2263, where he remained for the remainder of his career. He served as deputy chief of Operations in late 2267, and served in that post under the legendary James T. Kirk for two and a half years until Kirk returned to the refitted Enterprise; when Kirk left, Underwood was chosen to succeed him, and he was accordingly promoted to Vice Admiral. While at SF Operations, Underwood helped improve the defenses on Starfleet vessels, and eventually had two vessels constructed to his specifications: The U.S.S. Mary D. Anderson NCC-1948, built like the Enterprise, to serve as his flagship; and the U.S.S. Skyrider NCC-1831, which was considered a "lengthened and widened" version of the Constitution refit. The registry code 1831 was used to replace the lost U.S.S. Intrepid, which had previously used that number (no one is sure why it was replaced). The strength of Skyrider would become a lasting achievement, as it was refitted and recommissioned under the watchful eye of Kiran Joshmaul (as chief of Starfleet Operations) in 2375. In 2272, when the Kznti Incursion ended at Zetar, Joshmaul became a vocal opponent of most of the Federation Council and Starfleet Command, saying it was their mismanagement and dishonorable espionage tactics against the Kzin that had caused the war in the first place. He became so vocal that he declared open rebellion, and nine systems who would later become part of his Empire went with him. During the trial before the Federation Council, Underwood argued that, despite the fact that Joshmaul had crossed a very serious line, his service to the Federation was legendary, and it should be considered before the Council pronounced its sentence on him. In the end, the Council agreed with Underwood's recommendation, and sentenced Joshmaul to rehabilitation, with the potential of returning to his present command. However, when Underwood was taking him to the rehab colony, the Anderson - Underwood's flagship - was consumed by a temporal anomaly near Io just as the Enterprise returned from her second five year mission on March 17, 2276. An investigation ensued, and two years later, Joshmaul and Underwood were both declared dead. There was no evidence that they would ever return, and to add to it a piece of hull plating, presumably from the Anderson, was found in orbit. The Rise of Emperor Joshmaul Joshmaul and Underwood appeared near the Reydovan system on August 10, 2296. When the leaders of the now-independent Reydovan systems, who had left the Federation five years earlier, found out that Joshmaul was alive, the Conclave of Serenia was convened the following day to potentially make Joshmaul the new Emperor of an independent Reydovan Empire. However, there was the matter of an already-signed treaty from five years earlier, that said they would not make such a move. However, the Reydovan leaders did not anticipate that Joshmaul would return alive; so they decided to disregard the treaty in order to allow Joshmaul to be their new Emperor. The Conclave was adjourned on October 10, 2296, and the following day Joshmaul was crowned Emperor Joshmaul I in a public ceremony in the newly-renamed Imperial City (formerly "First City") on Reydovan Prime. Once in power, Emperor Joshmaul appointed Joshua Underwood as commander of the Imperial Navy and Daniel Longstreet as the head of the Imperial Marine Corps (the Imperial Army was not established until 2370), and created the Imperial Guard to serve as the police force for the Empire, and also as praetorians to the Emperor himself. He solidified his position quickly, appointing ministers and a council of the planetary leaders to serve as his advisors. Underwood remained his chief advisor. He would need all of Underwood's expertise two years later, when the Federation discovered that Joshmaul had returned - and had violated a very detailed treaty... War with the Federation In 2298, the Federation Starfleet was vastly depleted as a result of the Khitomer Accords; the Fleet had mostly disarmed over the years, particularly along the Klingon Neutral Zone. When they suspected Joshmaul was alive and leading his own Empire, Admiral Daniel Neill - Joshmaul's successor in the General Staff - to investigate this "rebellion" while preparing to build a starbase on Reydovan Prime. The results were devastating; Neill was captured and imprisoned, with no word to Starfleet before he was taken. Neill realized that in order to avoid execution, he would have to swear loyalty to Joshmaul - and that is exactly what he did. The Federation Council went into an uproar. It was divided on the "Reydovan issue" as it stood; a good deal of the Council voted to recognize the Empire as a legitimate state; the remainder, including the reigning President, Ra-ghoratrei of Efros (who had signed the Khitomer Accords five years earlier), were opposed to this move. It would place a "hostile power" right on the border between the Federation and the Klingons. The issue would be decided in battle, and for three years, the Reydovan Empire and the Federation went back and forth, but gained little ground. Finally, tiring of the pointless bloodshed, Ra-ghoratrei contacted Grand Admiral Underwood, the supreme commander of the Emperor's forces, to discuss a treaty. A cease-fire was called on April 7, 2301. Thus, the Treaty of Korolev in its final form was officially signed on August 11, 2301 (the terms had been decided months earlier, during the cease-fire), defining the border between the Reydovan Empire and the Federation, as well as securing Joshmaul's legitimacy as Emperor. Calm Before the Storm Joshmaul ruled peacefully as Emperor for twenty years after the end of the war, but he soon realized that the details of running the government might be too much for one man alone. In 2321, he appointed Grand Admiral Underwood as the first Imperial Chancellor, to handle all the administrative details of the government. Through that time period, Joshmaul managed to keep the peace, but by 2348, things were starting to turn awry with the Sha'kurian Duchies, and soon it degenerated into open war. In mid-2349, an assault was needed, and a commander was needed to lead it. The Emperor asked for a man capable of leading smaller forces head on into the larger Sha'kurian force. One hand went up - 48-year-old Major General Jeremiah Neill, who had been promoted twice over the course of the war, and was known as a "reckless son-of-a-bitch", as Daniel Longstreet put it. (Ironically enough, Neill's nephew, Jonathan Ross, was referred to quite similarly by the same man, twenty-five years later.) With Neill leading a small force into that battle, they managed to destroy their opponents with few losses, due to the hit-and-run tactics that Neill favored. The war ended in 2350 in a decisive Imperial victory. Under Reconstruction Children Underwood had three sons, only one of which survived the Dominion War. *Joshua Wardell Underwood, Jr. (2338-2373), Reydovan captain, killed in Dominion War *Lewis Addison Armistead Underwood (2342-2373), Reydovan general, killed in Dominion War *Thomas Jonathan Jackson Underwood (2343-), Starfleet officer, married, three sons, one daughter Underwood, Joshua